If I can get as much work on Microlite81 done in the next 3 or 4 days has I have managed to do today, I’ll be ready to release the first public playtest of the standard version of Microlite81. Draft 0.25 is available to RetroRoleplaying Cancer Fund donors now. This new draft includes updated monster listings for all monsters, a first pass at the treasure list including descriptions of magic treasure and a fairly complete set of rules. It should be playable now, although there is quite a bit more that I need to do before I’m ready to release a public playtest draft. I need to add to the character class descriptions, revise some of the treasure listings, add an equipment list, a treasure class list, update the “0e” conventions for “B/X”, add information on strongholds, and a few other things that are slipping my mind at the moment.

I’ve converted the current Lords & Wizards characters my Sunday game players are using to the yet unwritten Microlite81 Extended version (the version of Microlite81 with my standard house rules), so we’ll be using that this weekend. One of my goals for Microlite81 is for it to be fairly easy to use instead of the original B/X, a B/X retroclone like Labyrinth Lord or Basic Fantasy, or a B/X-based game like ACKS or Lords & Wizards.

As you can probably tell by the speed at which I’m turning out new rules drafts, I’m excited by Microlite81. I’m as excited about Microlite81 as I was by Microlite74 when I was first working on it back in 2008. The “Basic” versions of the world’s best known tabletop fantasy RPG (B/X, BECMI, RC) have always been my favorite versions of the game. They take 0e and refine it without increasing the complexity or the level of picky details all that much.